Built-in antenna for radio communication terminals

• US 6,271,796 B1
• Filed: 01/26/1999
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Itoh, Hideo, Egawa, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Hoanganh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dinh, Trinh Vo
• Application Number:
  US09/236,643
• Time in Patent Office: 924 Days
• Field of Search: H01/Q.124, 343/702, 343/741, 343/742, 343/866, 343/867, 343/870, 343/744, 343/700.MS, 343/895, 343/743
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/005 with variable reactance for tuning the antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/04 using two or more spaced independent antennas

Abstract

The built-in antenna for radio communication terminals of the present invention includes a loop antenna with a circumference of approximately one wavelength or less placed at an extremely short distance compared with the wavelength from the plane of the terminal board so that its loop plane may be perpendicular to the plane of said terminal bottom board which is opposite to the human body during communication, and a balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit with an impedance conversion function that supplies power to this loop antenna.

Claims

1. A built-in antenna for a radio communication terminal, comprising:

a terminal bottom board, comprising a grounded conductor;

a helical di-pole antenna, connecting to said terminal bottom board and being positioned so that a plane of said helical di-pole antenna is perpendicular to a plane of said terminal bottom board, said helical dipole antenna having a diameter not exceeding 0.1 wavelength; and

a balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit, comprising an impedance conversion system and connecting to a feeding end of said helical di-pole antenna;

wherein said terminal bottom board reflects an electromagnetic wave from said helical di-pole antenna in a direction away from a user; and

wherein said balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit minimizes an antenna current flowing to said terminal bottom board.

2. A built-in antenna for a radio communication terminal, comprising:

a terminal bottom board, comprising a grounded conductor;

a loop antenna, connecting to said terminal bottom board and being positioned so that a loop plane of said loop antenna is perpendicular to a plane of said terminal bottom board; and

a balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit, comprising an impedance conversion system and connecting to a feeding end of said loop antenna;

wherein said terminal bottom board reflects an electromagnetic wave from said loop antenna in a direction away from a user; and

wherein said balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit minimizes an antenna current flowing to said terminal bottom board.

3. The built-in antenna for a radio communication terminal according to claim 2, further comprising a reactance element positioned at a midpoint of said loop antenna.

4. The built-in antenna for a radio communication terminal according to claim 2, further comprising a variable capacitative element connected to the feeding end of said loop antenna.

5. The built-in antenna for a radio communication terminal according to claim 2, further comprising at least one circuit at the feeding end of said loop antenna, the at least one circuit comprising a plurality of tuning elements and a plurality of switching elements, wherein the built-in antenna switches frequency bands by switching the plurality of switching elements to perform tuning for each of the frequency bands.

6. The built-in antenna for a radio communication terminal according to claim 2, said loop antenna comprising a zig zag configuration.

7. The built-in antenna for a radio communication terminal according to claim 2, said loop antenna comprising a tabular configuration.

8. The built-in antenna according to claim 2, in combination with a mono-pole antenna, the built-in antenna comprising a reception-only antenna element of a diversity antenna and the mono-pole antenna comprising a reception and transmission antenna element of the diversity antenna.

9. The built-in antenna for a radio communication terminal according to claim 2, said loop antenna having a loop plane longitudinal element;

and

said terminal bottom board further comprising a bottom board fraction that is positioned perpendicular to the plane of said terminal bottom board and within a short distance, as compared to a radio signal wavelength of the radio communication terminal, from one end of the loop plane longitudinal element.

10. The built-in antenna according to claim 9, in combination with a mono-pole antenna, the built-in antenna comprising a reception-only antenna element of a diversity antenna and the mono-pole antenna comprising a reception and transmission antenna element of the diversity antenna.

11. The built-in antenna according to claim 9, in combination with a second loop antenna, the built-in antenna comprising a reception-only antenna element of a diversity antenna and the second loop antenna comprising a reception and transmission antenna element of the diversity antenna;

wherein the second loop antenna has a tabular configuration connects to said terminal bottom board and is positioned so that a loop plane of said second loop antenna is perpendicular to the plane of said terminal bottom board;

wherein said second loop antenna connects to said balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit by a feeding end of said second loop antenna;

wherein said terminal bottom board reflects an electromagnetic wave from said second loop antenna in a direction away from the user; and

wherein said balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit minimizes an antenna current of said second loop antenna flowing to said terminal bottom board.

12. The built-in antenna for a radio communication terminal according to claim 2, said loop antenna having a loop plane longitudinal element;

and

said terminal bottom board further comprising a bottom board fraction that is positioned perpendicular to the plane of said terminal bottom board and within a short distance, as compared to a radio signal wavelength of the radio communication terminal, from more than one end the loop plane longitudinal element.

13. The built-in antenna according to claim 12, in combination with a mono-pole antenna, the built-in antenna comprising a reception-only antenna element of a diversity antenna and the mono-pole antenna comprising a reception and transmission antenna element of the diversity antenna.

14. The built-in antenna according to claim 12, in combination with a second loop antenna, the built-in antenna comprising a reception-only antenna element of a diversity antenna and the second loop antenna comprising a reception and transmission antenna element of the diversity antenna;

wherein the second loop antenna has a tabular configuration connects to said terminal bottom board and is positioned so that a loop plane of said second loop antenna is perpendicular to the plane of said terminal bottom board;

wherein said second loop antenna connects to said balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit by a feeding end of said second loop antenna;

wherein said terminal bottom board reflects an electromagnetic wave from said second loop antenna in a direction away from the user; and

wherein said balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit minimizes an antenna current of said second loop antenna flowing to said terminal bottom board.

15. The built-in antenna for a radio communication terminal according to claim 2, wherein a longitudinal direction of said loop antenna is tilted approximately 60 degrees in the plane of said terminal bottom board, so that the longitudinal direction of said loop antenna is substantially vertical when the radio communication terminal is in use.

16. The built-in antenna according to claim 15, in combination with a mono-pole antenna, the built-in antenna comprising a reception-only antenna element of a diversity antenna and the mono-pole antenna comprising a reception and transmission antenna element of the diversity antenna.

17. The built-in antenna according to claim 15, in combination with a loop antenna, the loop antenna comprising a reception-only antenna element of a diversity antenna and the built-in antenna comprising a reception and transmission antenna element of the diversity antenna.

18. The built-in antenna according to claim 15, in combination with a second loop antenna, the built-in antenna comprising a reception and transmission antenna element of a diversity antenna and said second loop antenna comprising a reception-only antenna element of the diversity antenna;

wherein said second loop antenna has a longitudinal direction parallel to a body of the user during radio communication, connects to said terminal bottom board and is positioned in the plane of said terminal bottom board;

wherein said second loop antenna connects to said balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit by a feeding end of said loop antenna; and

wherein said balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit minimizes an antenna current flowing to said terminal bottom board.

19. The built-in antenna for a radio communication terminal according to claim 2, said loop antenna having a loop plane longitudinal element that is bent at an angle of 90 degrees in a plane parallel to the plane of the terminal bottom board and is positioned on said terminal bottom board.

20. The built-in antenna for a radio communication terminal according to claim 19, said terminal bottom board further comprising a bottom board fraction that is positioned perpendicular to the plane of said terminal bottom board and within a short distance, as compared to a radio signal wavelength of the radio communication terminal, from one end of the loop plane longitudinal element.

21. The built-in antenna for a radio communication terminal according to claim 19, said terminal bottom board further comprising a bottom board fraction that is positioned perpendicular to the plane of said terminal bottom board and within a short distance, as compared to a radio signal wavelength of the radio communication terminal, from more than one end of the loop plane longitudinal element.

22. The built-in antenna according to claim 19, in combination with a mono-pole antenna, the built-in antenna comprising a reception-only antenna element of a diversity antenna and the mono-pole antenna comprising a reception and transmission antenna element of the diversity antenna.

23. The built-in antenna according to claim 19, in combination with a second loop antenna, the built-in antenna comprising a reception-only antenna element of a diversity antenna and the second loop antenna comprising a reception and transmission antenna element of the diversity antenna;

wherein the second loop antenna has a tabular configuration connects to said terminal bottom board and is positioned so that a loop plane of said second loop antenna is perpendicular to the plane of said terminal bottom board;

wherein said second loop antenna connects to said balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit by a feeding end of said second loop antenna,

wherein said terminal bottom board reflects an electromagnetic wave from said second loop antenna in a direction away from the user; and

wherein said balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit minimizes an antenna current of said second loop antenna flowing to said terminal bottom board.

24. The built-in antenna according to claim 20, in combination with a mono-pole antenna, the built-in antenna comprising a reception-only antenna element of a diversity antenna and the mono-pole antenna comprising a reception and transmission antenna element of the diversity antenna.

25. The built-in antenna according to claim 20, in combination with a second loop antenna, the built-in antenna comprising a reception-only antenna element of a diversity antenna and the second loop antenna comprising a reception and transmission antenna element of the diversity antenna;

wherein the second loop antenna has a tabular configuration connects to said terminal bottom board and is positioned so that a loop plane of said second loop antenna is perpendicular to the plane of said terminal bottom board;

wherein said second loop antenna connects to said balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit by a feeding end of said second loop antenna;

wherein said terminal bottom board reflects an electromagnetic wave from said second loop antenna in a direction away from the user; and

wherein said balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit minimizes an antenna current of said second loop antenna flowing to said terminal bottom board.

26. The built-in antenna according to claim 21, in combination with a mono-pole antenna, the built-in antenna comprising a reception-only antenna element of a diversity antenna and the mono-pole antenna comprising a reception and transmission antenna element of the diversity antenna.

27. The built-in antenna according to claim 21, in combination with a second loop antenna, the built-in antenna comprising a reception-only antenna element of a diversity antenna and the second loop antenna comprising a reception and transmission antenna element of the diversity antenna;

wherein the second loop antenna has a tabular configuration connects to said terminal bottom board and is positioned so that a loop plane of said second loop antenna is perpendicular to the plane of said terminal bottom board;

wherein said second loop antenna connects to said balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit by a feeding end of said second loop antenna;

wherein said terminal bottom board reflects an electromagnetic wave from said second loop antenna in a direction away from the user; and

wherein said balanced/unbalanced conversion circuit minimizes an antenna current of said second loop antenna flowing to said terminal bottom board.